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As folks age, there are different options available in terms of housing in terms of living environments. Today, we’re going to compare assisted living communities to nursing homes facilities.
Welcome to The Senior Circle where we hope to inspire and help others by providing valuable, relevant information related to caring for an elderly loved one. Hi, my name is Dawn Neely and I’ll be your host. Thank you for joining us.
Today, I’d like to discuss the differences between nursing homes and assisted living communities. The biggest differences between these two types of senior housing centers revolve around medical services provided and the physical layout of each community.
In terms of the care that is provided. residents in a nursing home require around the clock care and monitoring. They typically live with more complex healthcare conditions that require the assistance of a skilled nurse or a physical or speech therapist. Some could even require respiratory care services. By contrast, residents that are in an assisted living community, generally, they require custodial care. It might be a person who lives with early stages of memory loss and isn’t quite safe living alone or it could also be an adult with mobility problems that need a little help transferring from their bed to their favorite chair.
How senior housing communities differ in the physical layout is one obvious difference is when you tour both a nursing home and an assisted living community, you’ll see that their appearance is different. While a nursing care center generally looks a little institutional because of the type of care that’s provided, an assisted living community usually resembles more of an upscale apartment community. Nursing home residents are more likely to share a room with another senior while residents that are in an assisted living community usually have their own apartment to live in.
Both types of the senior housing communities focus on keeping our older adults who call them home safe, healthy and happy and both provide support in what are referred to as the activities of daily living or ADLs. That includes bathing, dressing and personal care. Some other similarities between the two types of communities include medication management. We all know that mistakes with medication are a leading reason seniors end up in an emergency room but managing them can be difficult especially for seniors who take many different types of medications each day. Both types of communities can help residents safely manage their medication. Life enrichment. We also know that isolation and loneliness put older adults at greater risk for health problems such as depression, diabetes and high blood pressure. Assisted living communities and nursing care centers offer a variety of life enrichment activities designed to meet residents’ physical, emotional and spiritual needs. They have supportive services. What causes many older adults to make a move to a senior living community of some kind is the need for support with tasks like their light housekeeping, laundry, transportation and both of these types of communities offer those types of services. They provide a safe and secure environment. While the physical plant of these two types of communities are different, what they have in common is that both are designed with the security of an older adult in mind. From handrails and grab bars to emergency call systems, both assisted living and nursing homes help residents stay safe. They also provide well-balanced meals. Good nutrition is also a focus of both types of communities. Residents benefit from three well-balanced meals and nutritious snacks each day, a big plus for adults who may be struggling to plan and prepare meals at home.
While at Seniors Helping Seniors, we’re dedicated to helping people remain in their homes, we do provide services wherever our seniors consider home. We can enhance the services that are provided in communities and can help folks remain in an independent setting or an assisted setting if they’re not quite ready to transition to another environment. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us. Thank you very much and you have a great day.
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